


Twin Times the Trouble

by DiamondbackMako16



Series: Double Onward [1]
Category: Onward (2020)
Genre: AU movie verse, Adventure, Colt's the father of twins, F/M, Family, Like a lot of OCs - Freeform, OCs - Freeform, Officer Gore - Freeform, Officer Specter - Freeform, Twins, divorced Colt, technically Colt centered, twins are 10 years old
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:01:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24433243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiamondbackMako16/pseuds/DiamondbackMako16
Summary: *AU! Story follows the film's plot, but the only difference is that Colt is the divorced father of twin girls, who join the Lightfoot brothers on their journey. Note: This is NOT a complete, word-for-word/scene-for-scene retelling of the movie. There are plenty of scenes where the twins deal with family drama of their own.*Colt bronco was a simple centaur. He did his job, provided for his daughters, and did everything in his power to avoid his ex-wife. The LAST thing he expected was for his twin daughters to run off with their future stepbrothers as they go on a 'quest' to bring back the boys' dead father...Yeah, good luck explaining THAT to the girls' mother...
Relationships: Colt Bronco/Laurel Lightfoot
Series: Double Onward [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1764514
Comments: 9
Kudos: 7





	1. Rough Morning

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Onward belongs to Disney/Pixar and director Dan Scanlon.  
> Credit for the screenplay and story belongs to Dan Scanlon, Jason Headley and Keith Bunin. 
> 
> Save for my OC’s, I don’t own any canon characters, and this fic was created for the sole purpose of fun, and I am in no way making money off of this fic. 
> 
> A/N: This is an AU verse of the film’s events in that in this fic, Colt is the divorced father of ten-year-old twin girls, Phyllis ‘Filly’ and Phoebe Bronco. 
> 
> The film mostly follows the films events, but because I don’t want this to be a scene-by-scene/word-by-word ‘novelization’ of the film, scenes and dialogue will be added/deleted/ or slightly altered throughout the fic.  
> Also, because AO3 recently released a notice on how Disney updated their terms & conditions, and how many of us are now a little nervous and cautious about our fics; for safety purposes, any word-for-word quotes from the movie that does show up in this fic while be marked as such (example ->) *“Quote from film”*. Note the little asterisks located outside the quotation marks!
> 
> Anything written with “normal quotations” represents original dialogue. Anything *“Like this”* is dialogue from the film, and credit goes to screenplay writers, Dan Scanlon, Jason Headley and Keith Bunin.  
> Sorry if this is a lot to take in, but I’m just trying to play it safe as there will be times that I’ll have to use dialogue from the film. 
> 
> My OCs (so far):  
> Phyllis "Filly" Bronco and Phoebe Bronco- 10 year old twin daughters of Colt Bronco  
> Terra - Colt's ex wife and the mother of Filly and Phoebe

Colt lifted his chin as he tied and adjusted his work tie. His ears twitched as he picked up on the hustle and bustle going on in the other side of the house.

“Girls, are you almost ready?” Colt called out as he slid on his tie clip, “ _Girls!”_

“Almost!” Came the call of one of the occupants.

“Filly? What about you?” Colt called back as he made his way to the kitchen. He paused when he caught sight of an empty cereal bowl and spoon laying on kitchen table. On open cereal box and a half empty milk gallon rested near the dishes. “Filly, come pick up your mess!” Colt called as he gathered his work binders and folders, “We’ve talked about this before! You need to pick up after yourself when you finish eating!”

The sound of rapidly approaching hoof steps caught his attention and he turned to see a young centauress enter the kitchen.

“I’ll get it dad!” she said as she got to work gathering the discarded items.

Colt frowned, “No Phoebe, this is your sister’s mess. _She_ needs to come clean up after herself.”

“But she’s still getting ready for school dad.” Phoebe argued as she brought her sister’s dishes to the sink and began washing them.

Colt opened one of his binders and began scanning his notes for his meeting with the Chief, “She’s never going to learn if you keep doing her chores for her.” He said almost absent mindedly.

“I don’t mind.” The young girl said.

‘That’s not the point.’ Colt thought as he turned the page, “ _Filly_!”

“Coming dad, I’m coming!”

There was a second sound of hoof steps entering the kitchen, and Colt looked up to see a near identical centauress approaching the table, “Since your sister’s already washing your dishes, can you at _least_ put away the milk and cereal?” Colt asked as he looked back down at his binder.

“Oh, yeah!” Filly said as she quickly gathered the items. “Hey dad, guess what?” she said as she put the milk back in the fridge.

“Hm?” Colt hummed as he pulled out a pen and jolted down an extra detail on his notes.

Filly scurried back to her father and picked up the book she had left on the table, “I was reading the book Barley let me borrow, the one about cultures and history, and guess what?”

“What?” Colt said distractedly, still not looking up from his notes.

“Okay, in the chapter about centaurs,” Filly opened the book to the bookmarked section, “it says that not only were we great trackers and archers, but we were also skilled stargazers, and a lot of the prophecies made back then were foretold by centaurs! Look! See?” she held the book up to her father and pointed at the mentioned section, “Look, look…dad you’re not looking!”

“Filly, I’m _busy_ with work stuff,” Colt said as he finally looked up, “you can show me that after school, but right now, I need you to finish getting ready.”

The foal gave a confused tilt of her head, “I _am_ ready.”

Colt’s looked over his daughter, taking in her appearance, “Isn’t that the shirt you slept in last night?”

“…Nooo…?”

“Filly go change your shirt.”

The ten-year-old let out an exaggerated groan, “ _Okay…_ ” she turned and trudged back to her and her sister’s room.

“And bring your backpack while you’re at it!”

“ _Okay_ dad!”

Phoebe adjusted her little vest as she approached the table and looked down at the page her older twin sister had left open. She frowned at the information, “Do you think our kind really had the ability to tell the future?” she asked her father as she read over the page herself.

Colt scoffed, “Nah. Magic may have been a big thing back then, but fortune telling is a bit of a stretch.” He looked at the book and his eyes landed on a generic sketch of a centaur pointing at the sky as he ‘read’ the stars, “I think most of the time it was just wild guesses and crazy coincidences, and people just _thought_ they were predictions.”

“No, it’s _true_!”

Colt and Phoebe looked to see that Filly had returned, sporting a brand-new t-shirt and her backpack slung over one shoulder.

Filly trotted over and took the book from her younger sister’s hands and flipped through a few more pages before holding the book up for her family to see, “Look! Here’s a list of some of the most famous prophesies that came true! And all of them were foretold by centaurs like us!” The filly’s blue-green eyes lit up in excitement.

“Filly-”

“And I’ll bet, if we all learned to read the stars again, we can start making predictions, and then other magic will come back too!” Filly clutched the book to her chest as her mind swam with the possibilities of everyone returning to their magical roots.

Unfortunately, skeptical Colt seemed to think otherwise, and as a father, it was his job to bring his daughter back down to Earth, “Filly sweetie, I don’t think that’s gonna ha-” A high ‘bing!’ sounded from Colt’s belt, to which he swiftly removed his phone from it’s clip. Looking at the screen, he saw it was a message from Officer Specter.

~Good Morning sir. Have you seen this yet?~

Colt unlocked his phone and opened the full message. Above the text was a short video with a _very_ familiar looking elf in the screenshot.

Bracing himself, he pressed play.

 _*“I won’t let you tear down this fountain!”*_ The familiar voice caught the twins’ attention, and they quickly moved to stand on either side of their father, *“ _Ancient warriors on graaand quests drank from its flowing waters!”*_ The chain that held the protester to the monument was cut and the young man fell face first into the filthy water with a yelp.

Filly and Phoebe giggled at their future step-brother’s antics, but Colt wasn’t too impressed, “ _Dang it_ , Barley…” he grumbled as he pushed himself to his feet with a grunt. He glanced at the time on his phone. Seven on the dot. Colt had more than enough time to pay a small visit to the Lightfoot’s residence- if only to reprimand Barley for his antics…and _maaaybe_ spend a bit of time with Laurel before dropping off the girls and heading to work…but mostly to let Barley know that he was aware of his little ‘protest’.

“Girls, get your bags, we’re gonna pay a little visit to Mr. Lightfoot.” Colt instructed as he gathered his belongings.

Filly’s face lit up, “ _Yes_!” she did a fist pump before grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulders. Phoebe followed her lead, minus the fist pump.

Colt shoved his belongings into his own sack, “We’re only going because Barley’s in trouble. Filly, I’m warning you right now, _don’t_ encourage his behavior.” He warned as he led his daughters to the front door.

Filly gave a thumb’s up, “ _Got it_ , dad!”

Phoebe arched a brow in Filly’s direction. Even _she_ didn’t believe her sister’s promise.

Apparently Colt didn’t either as he sighed as he removed his car keys from the key hook, “Just…don’t rile him up, okay? I know you look up to Barley- and believe me, I’m _happy_ you’re looking forward to having him as a stepbrother, but _please_ don’t say anything to get him started on his board game or the ‘old days’, or _anything_ like that, alright?” He opened the front door and allowed the twins to leave first.

“Oh, well…in _that_ case…I can’t make any promises.” Filly admitted as her father followed them out and locked the door.

Colt sent his elder daughter an unamused look as he unlocked his cruiser.

“What she _means_ to say is that, she’ll _try_.” Phoebe reiterated as she climbed into the police car.

“Don’t make promises for me!” Filly complained as she clambered in after her sister. This triggered another mindless banter between the sisters.

Colt rolled his eyes, “Girls, stop arguing and make room.” He said and as he backed up and squeezed himself into the cramped vehicle. The car rocked as the three of them shifted and adjusted themselves.

“Dad, you need to ask for a bigger car!” Filly complained as she pushed against Phoebe.

“Filly’s right dad…this car was _not_ made to hold three centaurs!” Phoebe grunted as she pushed back against her sister.

Colt winced as a hoof hit his side, “I don’t know if I can…I’m not exactly _supposed_ to use this car for personal-” he let out a grunt as he was hit a second time, “Okay who’s kicking?!”

“Sorry!” That was Filly. There was a bit more shifting around before the twins settled into a semi-comfortable position.

“Ready?” Colt asked, as he put on his sunglasses.

“Ready!” The twins chorused.

With that, Colt backed out of their driveway and the trio began their short journey to the Lightfoot residence.

They had only gone a few blocks when Filly broke the silence, “Hey dad, can I hang out with Barley and his friends tomorrow? Just for a little while?”

Colt’s ear twitched at the request, “No.”

Filly’s brown ears dropped, “Aww, why not?”

“Because the three of use are going to take advantage of my days off and spend as much time together just as we do every weekend.” Colt answered without taking his eyes off the road.

“…Well…what about Sunday?”

“ _Sunday_ , is the day you two do whatever homework your teachers gave you over the weekend,”

“But-”

“ _and after that_ , you and your sister need to pack and get ready to go back to your mom.” Colt finished.

The car went silent at this.

After the divorce, it was mutually agreed between Colt and Terra- Filly and Phoebe’s mother- that _she_ would get primary custody of the twins, while Colt got secondary. With this, Terra had the girl’s during the school week, and Colt got them during the weekends. However, every other month, the girls would stay with their father for a full week, while Terra and her husband left for whatever business trip they had to attend. Obviously, the judge was fine with this, so long as it was run by him first…for legal reasons of course.

This past week, was one of those weeks, and like always, it was tough to say good-bye to their father after spending so much time with him.

“You’re gonna spend plenty of time with Barley and Ian tonight, so you two can talk about whatever you wanna talk about then.” Colt added as he pulled into the Lightfoot’s neighborhood.

Filly let out a sigh of defeat, “Yeah, okay.” She said as her father stopped in front to Barley’s home.

The cruiser jerked and swayed as Colt pulled himself out of the vehicle, causing the foals to give out small “woahs” as they grabbed on to whatever they could hold in an attempt to steady themselves.

After composing himself, Colt went around and helped his daughters out via the passenger side.

He had just pulled the fillies out when Barley walked out with a bag of trash.

*“Officer Bronco…”* The young elf groaned as he caught sight of his future stepfather.

Colt straightened to his full height, *“Barley, Barley, _Barley_ ,”* he shook his head as he approached the elf in question, *“Every time the city tries to tear down an old piece of rubble I-”*

The rest of the conversation went ignored as Phoebe turned to her sister, “So, are you gonna join us at recess today, or are you going to hide away with that book again?” the younger of the two asked as she placed her hands on her lower torso.

Filly hugged the book to her chest, “I don’t know. It depends if Barley lets me borrow it for a little longer…” She said timidly.

Phoebe frowned, “So that’s a ‘yes’.” She droned.

“I can’t help it! It’s a good book!” Filly argued as she held the item up to her sister’s face. Her eyes drifted over Phoebe’s shoulder before widening, “Oh!”

Phoebe turned to see their father’s lips locked with Laurel’s.

She felt just as sick and disturbed as Ian and Barley looked…

Filly however, didn’t seem to mind the small display of intimacy, and simply smiled as Laurel beckoned the girls into her home.

“Good morning girls!” Laurel greeted cheerfully.

“Good morning Laurel!” Filly chirped.

“Good morning Ms. Lightfoot.” Phoebe returned politely.

“Good morning Barley!” Filly greeted as she trotted past her favorite elf.

“Morning Filly.” Barley said with a smile.

“Hi Barley.” Phoebe said as she followed her older twin.

“Hey Feebs.” The young man returned.

Phoebe’s ears twitched at the nickname. It wasn’t that she had anything against the concept of nicknames- Filly, Ian, and even Colt used one themselves- it was just that Phoebe was a full name type of girl. She liked her name as is, and thought it sounded better than ‘Feebs’ or simply ‘Phee’, both which sounded silly to her…

The twins entered the kitchen just as Laurel started to reprimand her son for his antics.

Colt nodded along with his girlfriend’s words, *“She’s right! You can’t spend all day playing your board game.”* he agreed as he strolled over to the dinning table where Barley’s campaign figurines were set up.

While Colt struggled to settle and make himself comfortable, the twins crowded around Ian.

“Happy birthday, Ian!” Filly greeted from his left.

“Yeah, happy birthday!” Phoebe said from his right.

Ian gave a nervous chuckle, “Thanks.” He was still disappointed over the loss of his cereal and jelly toast.

“We made you something!” Phoebe said as she shrugged off her backpack. She opened one of the zipper’s and pulled out the homemade card she and Filly had worked on the night before. She handed it to Ian, who took it with a grateful smile.

“Thanks!” he said as he opened it. It held the usual ‘Happy Birthday’ wording with several doodles scattered throughout the page. Going by the differences in coloring and hand writing, it was obvious who drew or wrote what. “This is really nice…and colorful.”

The twins beamed, but Filly’s ears perked as she picked up Barley’s next words.

*“-centaurs could run seventy miles an hour?”*

Filly’s face lit up and she quickly scrambled over to the table.

*“I own a vehicle.” Colt droned, *“Don’t need to run.”* He shrugged before taking another sip of his coffee. He obviously wasn’t impressed with this information, nor did he fully believe it.

His daughter on the other hand…

“Could we really?!” Filly gushed; her eyes glossy with excitement.

Barley nodded, “Yeah! Your kind’s speed really helped when you all went hunting and stuff!” Barley glanced around at the other occupants, “You know, if you all gave it a chance, you could really learn something from Quests of Yore!”

“I’ll pass.” Colt voiced.

“Me too!” Ian agreed.

“Feebs?” Barley offered.

“No thank you!”

“Mom?”

“Oh, I don’t think I have time for that sweetie.” Laurel said from her place at the sink.

Barley’s eyes landed on Filly, but he didn’t even need to ask.

“I’ll play!” The young centauress volunteered; her tail swishing in excitement.

Barley beamed, “I _knew_ I could count on you Filly!” His voice deepened dramatically, “And to which class doth my dear sister wish to join?”

“I wanna be a rogue!” Filly didn’t even need to think twice.

Barley chuckled, “An _excellent_ choice young apprentice!”

“Aren’t those like criminals or something?” Phoebe asked, falling back on the _very_ limited knowledge she had of the game.

“Eh, it depends on how you play them.” Barley waved a hand in dismissal, “But if Filly _does_ choose to play her rogue as a criminal, it will be hilariously ironic given that you dad’s a cop and all.” He grinned at the Colt.

Colt stared back, not at all impressed with the implication.

Barley ignored the look and turned his attention back to Ian, “Ian, you sure you don’t want in on this?” he asked as he approached his younger brother, “The rogue’s spoken for, _buuut_ ,” Barley held up the figurine of a wizard, “You can be our wizard!” he deepened his voice, *“I cast a spell on thee!”* he joked as he danced the figurine on Ian’s shoulder.

Colt shook his head at the elf’s antics. He looked back at his daughters, “You all _did_ finish your homework last night, right?” The girls nodded. “ _Filly_?”

“I did!”

“On your own?” Colt asked suspiciously.

Filly shifted, “…Yes…at least…I did _most_ of it myself…”

“ _Phoebe_ …” Colt turned to his younger daughter.

Now it was Phoebe’s turn to squirm under her father’s gaze, “She was having trouble with her math assignment…”

“So you did her homework for her _again_?” Colt accused.

“Only _some_ of it!” Phoebe protested.

Colt brought his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose again, “Phoebe you _can’t_ keep doing things for your sister! She _has_ to learn to do things on her own!” he turned to his elder daughter, “And _you_ ; you _can’t_ keep relying on your sister to do your chores or homework for you! You need to start stepping up and taking some responsibility; you hear me?”

Filly cast her gaze downward. He wasn’t yelling obviously- not that he’s ever raised his voice towards his children- but he _was_ using his stern, ‘I’m not playing around’ tone. The one Colt reserved for situations like this…or for criminals/delinquents receiving their first warning.

“I hear you dad.” Filly said softly.

The sound of tearing fabric caught the centaurs’ attention and they all turned to see that Barley’s arm band had snagged a loose thread on Ian’s sweater. In his panic, Barley tugged his arm causing the tiny hole to grow into a large gap. He would have torn the whole sleeve off had Laurel not stepped in with a pair of scissors and cut the thread free.

Barley made to apologize, but Ian put his hands up in withheld frustration, *“You know what? I’m just gonna get some food on the way to school.”* he said as he backed up towards the door.

*“I’ll sew that later tonight, okay?”* Laurel offered.

Ian shook his head, “No, it’s fine mom, I got it.” He insisted as he picked up his backpack, “Well, I’m heading out!”

Barley perked and ran after his brother, “Wait! Let me at least perform the birthday ceremony!”

Ian froze, “ _What_?”

“Ceremony?” Filly questioned as she joined the boys by the front door.

Barley grinned as he placed a Viking helmet on his head, “Yeah, ceremony!” he picked up a plastic sword and pointed it at Ian, *“By the Laws of Yore, I must dub thee a man today.”* He pointed the sword at the ground, *“ _Kneel_ before me!”*

Filly giggled and looked at Ian as Phoebe sauntered up to her sister.

Ian looked between the expectant stares and took another step back, *“Oh that’s okay! I gotta get going!”* He thought that would be the end of it, but when Barley suggested picking him up from school and performing the ‘ceremony’ _there_ , well…well he was quick to decline the offer. He then made a mad dash from the house before any other craziness could ensue.

Filly tilted her head, “ _Huh_ …I guess _someone_ likes school.” She said while crossing her arms.

Phoebe looked at the lavender watch on her wrist, “Speaking of school, I think _we_ should be getting to school too.” She said.

Filly’s ears dipped, “ _Awww_ …”

Phoebe ignored her and turned to their father, “Dad, we gotta get to school!”

Colt looked at his phone, “Yeah, we better get going.” He made to push himself up, when Laurel placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Why don’t I have Barley drop the girls off? That way you can relax a little longer before heading off to work.”

Filly perked.

Phoebe cringed.

Colt shared his younger daughter’s sentiment, “I don’t know…we don’t want to be a burden…”

Laurel waved off his concern, “It’s fine! Barley doesn’t mind, right Barley?”

Barley, who had made his way back to the kitchen counter shook his head, “I’ve got nothing better to do.”

Colt looked at his daughters. Filly looked hopeful at the thought of getting a ride from Barley, whereas Phoebe looked terrified, “I don’t know…”

“Barley will be careful… _won’t_ you Barley?” Laurel sent her son a warning look.

He got the message, loud and clear, “Of course! You know I would _never_ let anything happen to my future baby sisters!”

Filly looked up at her father, “ _Please_ dad?”

Colt looked from Filly, to Phoebe, to Barley, to Laurel, and then to his hands. He closed his eyes and sighed, “Alright…I guess if Barley _promises_ to be careful and _obey_ the rules of the road…” he sent a pointed glare at his soon-to-be eldest child, “then I guess he can take the girls to school.”

“ _Yes_!” Filly cheered. She stomped her hooves and gave a snort of delight.

“Alright, alright, settle down.” Colt hushed.

Barley approached Colt as he flicked his keys into the air before catching them in his hand, “Colt, I give you my word, that our ride in Guinevere will be smooth and gentle-”

“It better be.” Laurel warned through narrow eyes.

Colt eyed Barley with his stone-face, cop glare.

Barley cleared his throat nervously, “Yeah…yeah, okay…” he chuckled as he inched towards the door.

Phoebe practically threw herself at her father, “I love you dad…” she said softly as she wrapped her arms as much as she could around him.

Colt actually chuckled at her antics, “Phoebe, you’ll be fine…” he leaned in close to his daughter’s ear, “but tell me if he breaks even _one_ traffic violation.”

Phoebe reluctantly nodded and pulled away.

“Filly…” Colt called his other daughter over.

Filly readily approached her father and hugged him goodbye.

Colt gave her a small, loving squeeze, “Take care of your little sister, alright?” he whispered gently, “ _You’re_ the older of the two. I’m counting on you to behave and be a good influence.”

“Okay dad.” Filly promised softly.

Colt gave her another squeeze before releasing her, “Have a good day girls!” he bid as the twins made their way over to Barley.

“You too dad!” Filly returned.

“Stay safe dad!” Phoebe added.

Barley’s grin returned as he held the door open for the young fillies, “Come along young scholars! Knowledge awaits you!”

This earned yet another laugh from Filly, “Barley, you’re so funny…and so _awesome_!” she gushed as she and her sister left the house.

Barley laughed, “No, _you’re_ awesome!”

“No, _you’re_ awes-”

The door closed, but Colt and Laurel could still hear the muffled, playful banter between the two.

Colt let out a heavy breath as he looked down at his coffee.

Laurel rubbed his back, “Rough morning?”

“I’m just a little tense…it’s never easy when Terra comes back.” Colt admitted.

Laurel pulled up a chair to sit next to her future husband, “I imagine it’s rough for you _and_ the girls.” Said as she continued to sooth her boyfriend.

Colt nodded, “You know how much I love my girls, and I _do_ enjoy spending these weeks with them, but…at the same time…it’s like torture! I get so used to having the girls around, and then before I know it, I have to send them back to their mother, and then I’m home alone and…and I _miss_ them…” his face dropped and Laurel moved to hold him.

“Oh _Colt_ …”

“It’s _hard_ Laurel…it’s hard to see them _go_.” Despite Colt’s best efforts, his voice cracked.

Laurel pressed her cheek against Colt’s shoulder, “I can’t say I know how that feels, but what I _can_ tell you, is that you’re doing such an _amazing_ job in staying strong for your daughters.” She rubbed small circles on the centaur’s back, “I’m sure this is _just_ as hard for them as it is for you, but I think you putting on a brave face helps them get through it.” She reached up and cupped Colt’s cheek, “As for right now, the only advice I can give you is to enjoy the next couple of days you have with them and just be patient. The next weekend will come, and before you know it, you’ll have the girls again for another week.” She gave a loving smile at her fiancé.

Colt returned the gesture, “Thank you honey. You always know the right things to say.”

Laurel blushed, “So do you.”

Their smiles widened and they leaned in for a passionate kiss.


	2. School Day filler

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mostly just a filler chapter that introduces a couple of Filly and Phoebe's friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Onward belongs to Disney/Pixar and Dan Scanlon. This fic was written purely for fun and I am making no money off this.

The ride to school went just as well as Phoebe anticipated. Fast, hectic and panic inducing. By the time Barley pulled into the school parking lot, Phoebe’s fingers were practically dug into Barley’s driver seat. Filly was clinging to the passenger’s seat herself, but unlike her younger sister, the filly had obviously enjoyed the ride.

“That was _so_ much fun!” Filly cheered as Barley put Guinevere in park.

Barley beamed as he switched off the rock music blaring from the stereos, “Yeah, ol’ Guinevere can be a rough ride sometimes, but she gets the job done.” He reached forward and stroked the van’s dashboard.

Filly patted the passenger seat’s headrest, “Thank you, Guinevere.”

Barley smiled in approval before turning to the younger foal behind him, “You okay Feebs?” He reached over his shoulder and patted one of Phoebe’s smaller hands.

Phoebe nodded, “Y-yeah…I-I’m o-okay…” she stuttered as she pried her fingers from the tattered, leather seat. Her little hearts raced as she adjusted her backpack. Was _this_ what she had to look forward to when her father and Laurel got married? Life threatening car rides from Barley every week? She might as well start writing her last will and testament _now_!

Barley shifted in his seat and his face fell into a sheepish expression, “Cool, cool…so uh…about that red light I had to take-”

“She won’t say anything, _right_ Phoebe?” Filly sent a pointed glare at her younger sister.

Phoebe locked eyes with her twin before giving a slow nod, “Right…”

The elf’s face lit up in relief, “Awesome! I mean, there was no way I would have been able in time-”

“It’s okay Barley, I won’t tell my dad.” Phoebe reluctantly assured as her sister continued to glare at her. As much as she loved their father and wanted to obey him, Phoebe also loved her sister and didn’t want to anger her by ratting out their future elder brother…even if he _did_ have a habit of almost getting them all killed…

“Sweet!” Barley turned and clambered out of his seat and went around back to open the double doors for the girls.

Phoebe shifted around and gladly accepted Barley’s help in getting out of his death trap. Filly however, dug into her backpack and pulled out the old history book the elf had loaned her, “I got your book, but I was wondering if I could borrow it for a little bit longer?” she held the book to her chest as she looked at the young man hopefully.

Barley’s warm smile grew, “You really like that book?”

Filly nodded.

“Then it’s yours.”

Filly’s eyes widened, “For _keeps_?!”

Barley nodded, “For keeps.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’ve read that book _loads_ of times…I’ve got most of it memorized, actually. It’s time to pass it on to a newer, younger mind.”

Filly’s face lit up as she shoved the book back into her bag before scooting forward and wrapping her arms around her soon-to-be brother, “ _Thank you_!”

Barley laughed and gave her a small squeeze before helping her off the van, “Anything for my little sister.” He said as he slammed Guinevere’s doors shut.

The trio turned just in time to see a police cruiser pull into the empty space next to them.

Barley tensed as the driver’s door opened and Officer Gore climbed out. The satyress smiled at the twin foals, “Good morning girls!” She greeted sweetly.

“Good morning Officer Gore!” The fillies chorused in unison.

Gore’s eyes went to Barley, and her smile faded and her eyes narrowed, “ _Barley_.”

“Officer.”

Gore huffed before turning and opening the cruiser’s back door. Two near identical, male satyrs eased themselves out of the car and stood next to the older woman.

Filly and Phoebe perked at the sight of their male counterparts.

“Hey Ramsey!”

“Hi Ryder!”

The satyr twins smiled as they returned the greeting.

“Hi Filly!”

“Hey Phoebe!”

Gore shut the cruiser’s door and then turned to place a hand on each of her sons’ back, “Your dad?” she asked the twin girls.

“He stayed behind with Laurel,” Filly answered, “so Barely gave us a ride to school.”

“ _Oh_!” Officer Gore looked up at the young elf, “And how was his driving… _Phoebe_?”

All eyes went to the filly in question, “Uh, _good_! He drove good!” she lied with a smile.

Knowing Barley, Gore had her doubts. However, it wasn’t her place to call out her superior’s child, so she let the obvious fib go, “Riiight…well, _I’ve_ got to get to work, and since _you’re_ here, do you think you can get the kids through the crosswalk in one piece?” she raised a brow in Barley’s direction.

Barley’s cheeks flushed lightly, “ _Yeah_ I can get them across.” He said stiffly.

Gore smirked before leaning down and planting a goodbye kiss on Ramsey’s cheek. The elder twin smiled as he accepted the peck without fuss. His younger brother on the other hand, squirmed as he was pulled towards his mother’s lips.

“ _Mooom_!” Ryder whined as Gore kissed his freckled cheek.

“Don’t wipe it off!” The satyress warned as she pulled away and the younger twin brought a hand up to the area.

The woman’s stern tone was enough to make the boy freeze and then lower his hand slowly. He grumbled a bit, but did as he was told.

It wasn’t that he didn’t _love_ his mother- quite the opposite really- it was just that, public motherly affection countered his tough guy aesthetic. Not tough as in ‘bully-material’ tough, but tough as in ‘mess with me or my brother or my friends, and we’re going to have a problem’ tough. And the boy certainly had the _look_ for someone with such an attitude. With jet black fur, matching raven hair- cropped short and spiked slightly with gel- and dark clothing, Ryder was certainly an intimidating looking young man. In fact, had it not been for his round face, chocolate eyes and freckles that adorned his cheeks, one could have said he was a spitting image of his _father_. Thank _Pan_ he and his brother had inherited their mother’s facial features…he didn’t know _what_ he would have done if their father’s cold blue eyes had passed down to them…

The young kid was pulled from his thoughts as his mother tapped his shoulder, “Did you hear me?” Gore said, “Your aunt is going to pick you up from school today.” She repeated as she moved to adjust her elder son’s neatly combed hair, “She’ll be taking care of you tonight, so make sure you two don’t go to bed to late, and I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“You’ll be home by the time dad gets there, right?” Ramsey asked nervously.

Gore cupped his round cheek, “Of course I will.” She promised before guiding her sons towards Barley and the Bronco twins. “Have a good day at school. I love you guys!”

Ramsey turned and wrapped his arms around his mother, “I love you too, mom! Be careful…”

Gore gave her older son a tight squeeze before releasing him. She held her arms open as Ryder moved into her embrace.

“I love you mom.” The young boy said softly.

“I love you too, Ryder.” The young mother released her son and nudged him back in the group’s direction. “ _Behave_!” she warned the younger boy as they all turned to leave.

“I’ll try…” Ryder answered.

“Try nothing, you _better_!” Gore called out as she climbed back into her cruiser.

Even tough-guy Ryder’s ears dipped at his mother’s stern warning, “Okay mom!” he assured as she shut the door.

The group quickly made their way across the parking lot after that, stopping only for a second to give a final wave when Gore playfully ‘woop-wooped’ her siren.

Barley shook his head as he led the four youngsters to the school’s entrance, “Your mom is…something else…” he said in the boys’ direction.

“She has to be.” Ryder answered, not even looking at Barley, “Not _everyone_ respects police women…not even other officers.”

“Some do!” Ramsey input, “Filly and Phoebe’s dad respects the women on the force, and so does Officer Avel, and-”

“Of _course,_ Officer Avel’s nice to mom, he’s in _love_ with her!” Ryder interrupted, sounding _more_ than a little bitter. It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with the elfin cop or anything, it was just…their mother had already gone through so much pain and heartbreak that Ryder didn’t want his mom to get hurt _again_. His father had abandoned their mother before he and his brother were even _born_ …what if Avel did the same thing? 

Ramsey looked at his younger brother, “To be fair, I think mom likes him too-”

“ _No she doesn’t_!” Ryder hissed back.

The first school bell rang, and Barley ushered the quartet into the building, “That’s first call. Better get to class gang!” he said as he ushered the kids on, “Filly, Feebs, I’ll pick you up after school.”

“Thanks Barley!” Filly called as the group trotted down the hall.

“Yeah…thanks…” Phoebe said less enthusiastically.

* * *

The final bell rang just as the two sets of twins settled into their respective table groups.

The students laughed and chatted as they discussed their plans for the weekend. The teacher, a mint-green nymph in her early thirties, stepped forward and clapped her hands in rhythm.

**Clap, clap, clap-clap, clap!**

**Clap, clap, clap-clap, clap!** The students echoed.

The teacher smiled, “Good _morning_ class!”

“Good _morning_ Mrs. Maples!” the fourth graders droned in unison.

Mrs. Maples clasped her hands together, “Alright everybody I know we’re all excited for the weekend, but remember, we have to stay focused and get through our work because-”

“Work first. Play later.” The kids finished unenthusiastically.

“That’s right. Now, take out your math homework and pass it to your group leaders-

* * *

“Hey Ramsey, did you know that satyrs were able to read the stars too?” Filly asked, not looking up from _her_ book.

Ramsey plucked at a few strands of grass as he listened to his recess companion, “Oh really?” he responded in interest. Truth be told, the young centauress _had_ told him that little tidbit of information, _several_ times, but he wasn’t about to argue.

 _Not_ with Filly. _Never_ with Filly.

“You all were pretty good with nature too…” At this, Filly looked over the book at the grass and flower crown Ramsey was working on, “actually, I think you’re _still_ pretty good with nature.” She confirmed as she shared a smile with the fellow elder twin.

Ramsey blushed, “Well I- _watch out_!”

Filly looked up to see a soccer ball flying right towards her! With a yelp, she held her book up as protection, only for Ramsey to dive forward and catch the ball mid-air.

“Woah!” the young satyr grunted as he landed on the ground with a thud. He sat up as his sweat drenched younger brother ran up to the duo. Phoebe, who had seen the whole thing from where she and her friends had been playing, followed close behind.

“Sorry, that was Clay…I _told_ him to be careful where he kicked the ball…” Ryder apologized as he took the ball from his brother.

“Are you guys okay?” Phoebe asked as she looked her sister and friend over.

Filly nodded, “Yeah, we’re fine.” She assured.

The shrill sound of a whistle blowing alerted the various students that recess was over, and they all assembled over to their waiting teachers, many grumbling along the way.

Phoebe helped her sister up before following after Ryder, who had ran off to join his friends.

Filly held her hand out to assist Ramsey in return.

“Tha-” Ramsey was cut off as Filly leaned down and planted a quick kiss on the boy’s cheek.

“ _My_ hero…” Filly gushed before trotting off to join their class.

Ramsey simply followed in a dazed silence, his heart fluttering in joy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, I made Gore a young mama too. As you can see, she's got herself a set of twin boys. More bio and info on them will come later. :)


	3. Gifts & Quests

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Onward belongs to Disney/Pixar and director Dan Scanlon.  
> Credit for the screenplay and story belongs to Dan Scanlon, Jason Headley and Keith Bunin.
> 
> Save for my OC’s, I don’t own any canon characters, and this fic was created for the sole purpose of fun, and I am in no way making money off of this fic.
> 
> Anything written with “normal quotations” represents original dialogue. Anything *“Like this”* is dialogue from the film, and credit goes to screenplay writers, Dan Scanlon, Jason Headley and Keith Bunin.

Time seemed to drag by _sooo_ slowly for Filly, but at long last, three-thirty finally arrived and the sweet, shrill ring of the school bell rang through the school, sending the students scrambling to gather their belongings.

“-and don’t forget to work on problems one through twenty in your math books! Pages two-twenty-four and two-twenty-five!” Mrs. Maples called over the commotion, “I’ll be picking that up first thing on Monday! Make sure you all read your books and be ready to AR test as well!”

A young minotaur darted to the classroom door and looked back at his teacher, “Miss can we go now? I gonna miss my bus!” he called, his hand already on the doorknob.

“ _Yes_! Bus students, _go_! Pick-up, line up and get ready to follow me!” Mrs. Maples brushed past her students and stood before the few remaining children. She turned to look at Filly, “Is your stepmother going to pick you up, or is…?” she asked uncertainly.

“Barley’s getting us!” The young centauress answered confidently.

Mrs. Maples deflated in concern, “Oh…and your father gave him the okay?” She had seen the notorious history buff’s wreck less driving, and she feared for her student’s safety.

Filly beamed, “Don’t worry Mrs. Maples, our dad _completely_ trusts Barley with our lives!”

The teacher gave a weak smile in return, “Well…if you say so…” she said as she turned and led the remaining students out to the pick-up area.

Phoebe trotted up next to her sister, “He ‘trusts Barley with our lives’?” she whispered skeptically.

Filly waved her hand in dismissal, “You know what I meant.”

The younger twin frowned and made to argue further, but Filly turned her attention to Ramsey and began yet another history-based discussion. Dejected, Phoebe fell back behind her sister only to perk when she noticed Ryder following after his brother as well. She tapped his arm, and her hearts gave a little flutter when his dark eyes met hers.

“Hey Ryder…” she started shyly.

Ryder’s eyes went back to the earbuds he had been untangling, “Hey Feebs.”

Phoebe’s ears twitched, but decided to overlook her pet peeve, “So uh…you guys have anything fun planned for this weekend?”

Ryder scoffed, “Other than seeing our jerk of a dad for like, an _hour_ tomorrow, we don’t have much planned.” He paused in brief thought, “I mean, after our dad leaves, Rams and I always have a movie night with our mom, so we have _that_ going on. But yeah…nothing else. What about you?” he looked up at Phoebe. He paused to allow his friend to exit the building first.

Phoebe shrugged as nonchalantly as she could, “We don’t have a lot planned either. It’s Ian’s birthday today, we we’re going to hang out with him while we wait for our dad to pick us up. Tomorrow we’re going to have some more family time before we go back to our mom on Sunday.” She dropped down on the soft grass next to her sister, who was still animatedly chatting with Ramsey.

“That’s pretty cool.” Ryder nodded in approval.

Phoebe eagerly mimicked the action, “Yeah it’s pretty cool.”

Ryder gave her a final smile before plugging in his earphones and turning his attention to his phone.

Phoebe’s smile faltered as Ryder’s attention went elsewhere as well. She sighed as she tuned-in to her elder sister’s conversation.

“- and _rogues_ were basically the opposite, and they-“

Yeah, _no_.

Phoebe shrugged off her backpack and pulled out a library book. She _might_ as well get her weekend reading started _now_ while she had the chance.

* * *

Ten minutes later, the Gore twins were called out as their aunt pulled up in line.

Ramsey and Filly bid each other farewell while Ryder pushed himself to his feet, “See ya later Feebs.” He said as he slung his backpack over his shoulder.

Phoebe blushed and smiled, “See you on Monday!” she said as she watched the young satyr leave. Ryder flashed her a quick ‘peace’ sign before climbing into his aunt’s car after Ramsey. A sudden rush of courage and adrenaline surged through Phoebe, and before she could stop herself, she called out, “You looked great today!”

Ryder, who had _just_ settled himself into his seat, pulled out an earbud and looked back at the filly in confusion, “Huh?”

Unfortunately, the teacher on duty slammed the car door shut and the boys’ aunt drove off before Phoebe could even recover from her desperate outburst.

It was a blessing really, as Phoebe’s cheeks were now burning with embarrassment.

Filly nudged her sister with her elbow, “ _Phoebe_! I didn’t _know_ you felt that way about Ryder!” she teased playfully.

Phoebe brought a hand to her rosy face, “ _Pleeease_ don’t tell dad!” she begged as she caught sight of several girls snickering in her direction. Oh, they were _not_ going to let her live this down come Monday…

Filly’s smile widened, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell dad…as long as you don’t tell him I kissed Ramsey today.”

“ _What_?!” Phoebe dropped her hand and looked at her twin, “I’m sorry, did you say you _kissed_ Ramsey?!”

Filly’s ears dipped, “You…you didn’t see it?”

“ _No_! When did you kiss him?” Phoebe demanded in a hushed voice.

Filly shifted under her younger sibling’s gaze, “Today during recess…”

“ _Really?_ ”

“Well…technically, it was _after_ recess.” Now it was Filly’s turn to blush.

It was also Phoebe’s turn to smirk, “Wait till _dad_ finds out-”

“ _No_!”

“-you _know_ he doesn’t want us kissing boys until we’re _forty-_ ”

“It was on the cheek!” Filly argued as she shoved her sister playfully.

“But you _kissed_ him!” Phoebe laughed.

“ _Shhhh_! Don’t let the teachers hear you!”

“But you _did_!” Phoebe pushed her sister back.

“Yeah but _you_ were the one that yelled out compliments at Ryder!” Filly teased.

“ _Shush_ about that!”

The girls went back and forth until the sound of heavy metal music filled the air. Filly’s ears perked while Phoebe’s dropped.

“Bronco twins, your ride is here!” One of the teachers called out over their bullhorn.

Filly swung her backpack over her shoulder as she clambered to her feet, “Come on Phoebe! Barley’s here!” the elder girl urged as she trotted to the curbside.

“I’m coming, I’m coming…” Phoebe sighed as she placed her library book back in her back and followed after her sister.

Barley pulled to a stop just in front of the girl’s, and a staff member pulled the sliding door open.

“ _There’s_ the wee young maidens!” Barley greeted as the girls were helped into the van.

“Hi Barley!” Filly piped up as she settled herself behind the driver’s seat.

“Hello Barley.” Phoebe echoed as she wrapped her arms around the passenger seat, already bracing her self for the ride. The sliding door closed and the centauress frowned at her soon-to-be stepbrother, “… _why_ are you dressed like tha- _ahh_ -at!” she yelped the last word as the van lurched out of the school parking lot.

Filly looked around the seat and saw that Barley was dressed in his usual _Quests of Yore_ attire, complete with chainlink shirt, cape and Viking helmet.

“Yeah, what’s the occasion?” Filly wondered.

Barley beamed, “Why, it’s for Ian’s Coming of Age ceremony!”

Phoebe frowned as Barley took a sharp turn around a corner, “Coming of…didn’t Ian say he didn’t _want_ you to do that?” she asked skeptically.

Filly rolled her eyes, “Oh come _on_ Phoebe…it’s just a fun little ceremony. I don’t think Ian would mind.”

The twin scoffed, “Actually, I think he _would_.” She clenched her eyes as Barley _barely_ made it past the yellow/red light.

* * *

“Look, there he is!” Filly said a few moments later as the trio approached the High School.

Barley responded by cranking up the music and accelerating…right in the direction of the lingering students!

“Careful, _careful_! Barley keep your eyes on the _road_!” Phoebe begged as her fingers dug into the seat. Sweet _Chiron_ , her dad was _definitely_ going to have to have a serious talk with Barley one of these days…

Sadly, Phoebe’s warnings fell on deaf ears as Barley _literally_ leaned out of the driver’s window, *“Is that the _birthday boy_ I see?!”* he laughed good heartedly.

Students dove out of the way as the van came to a stop practically on the school’s sidewalk.

“Please tell me that wasn’t a student!” Phoebe moaned as she felt a ‘thump’ at the front of the van.

“Feebs _relax_! It was a trash can.” Barley assured with a reassuring smile before clambering out of Guinevere. *“ _Behold_! Your chariot awaits!”* Barley announced with the slam of his driver door.

Phoebe pried herself off the passenger seat, “Filly, I think we need to be honest with dad about Barley’s driving.” She deadpanned with an unimpressed glare in said elf’s direction.

Filly shook her head, “ _No_! No _way_ , Phoebe! We can _not_ snitch on Barley like that!”

Phoebe sighed, “Look Filly, I know-”

*“Sir _Iandore_ of Lightfoot!”* Barley called out.

“-you like Barley because you think he’s cool-”

*“Hey Ian!”* The girls cringed as Barley reached in through the open drivers window and honked the horn.

“-but if we’re going to be a family, I think its only fair that Barley takes proper care of us…I mean, dad’s really putting a lot of trust in him by letting him drive us around.” There was a loud clang from the front of the van, “And to be honest, I don’t want to die at age ten.”

Filly looked down in thought. Her sister _did_ bring up a couple of good points…

“Yeah…I guess it _would_ suck if you died before you got a chance to date _Ryder-_ ”

“Oh shut _up_!” Phoebe playfully punched her sister’s shoulder, earning her a punch in return.

The doors opened and the girl’s fell silent as Barley scooped up the pile of parking tickets from the passenger’s seat, *“Whoops! Let me just file those…”* he said sheepishly as he shoved them into the glove compartment, which was stuffed with even _more_ parking/traffic tickets.

Phoebe sent Filly a pointed look.

“You got something on your face.” Filly pointed out as Ian pulled himself into the van.

This got Barley’s attention and he furrowed his brows, *“Hey, did those kids write on your face? Here, I’ll get it…”* he licked his thumb and made to wipe the younger male’s cheek, only for Ian to swat his hand away.

*“Can we _please_ just go home?”* Ian snapped impatiently.

Filly and Phoebe shared a concerned look, “Did…How’s your birthday going so far?” the elder of the two pressed gently.

Ian spared the young filly a quick glance, “It was okay.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t worry,” Barley assured, *“we’ll perform your birthday ceremony later, then you’ll be ready for adulthood and its gauntlet challenges!” Barley looked between his brother and the twins sitting behind them, *“You know, in ancient times, you celebrated your day of birth with a solemn quest.”*

Filly beamed, “Coool…”

Barley laughed, “It _is_ cool! And I’ll tell you something else, in the _old_ days, centaurs were often called in to predict the outcome of the challenge-”

As usual, Phoebe zoned out as Barley pulled out of the school grounds and droned on to her enthusiastic older sister. Ian looked as if he had done the same as he simply looked out the window as they made their way back home.

* * *

The van had gone silent by the time the quartet arrived at the Lightfoot residence, and Phoebe was more than eager to get out of the death trap so called ‘Guinevere’.

How that van managed to pass as many inspections as it did was a mystery to Phoebe, as well as her father…

The sliding door opened, and Barley got to work helping his future stepsisters out of the van.

“Fair maiden Phoebe of the Bronco Clan…” Barley greeted as he helped the younger sister down.

“Thank you Barley.” At least he got her name right this time.

“Aaand fair maiden Filly of the Bronco Clan.” The older elf repeated as he assisted the elder twin.

“Thanks for the ride Barley!” Filly thanked as she adjusted her backpack.

“But of course! After all, what are big brothers for?” Barely said as he led the girls into the house.

“We’re not siblings _yet_.” Phoebe muttered under her breath. Laurel wasn’t her stepmother. Ian and Barley weren’t her stepbrothers. They were still on the ‘engagement’ phase- actually, not even _that_! They were on the ‘engaged to be engaged’ phase. Apparently, Colt was saving up to buy an engagement ring or something…

The group entered the house and Ian immediately beelined it to his room, leaving his elder brother and young centaurs behind.

Barley looked at the younger girls, “Well, cake and dinner won’t be until later, but you’re more than welcome to help yourselves to whatever snacks we have in stock.”

Filly gave a thumbs up, “Thanks Barley!”

“No problem! Oh, and uh…make sure to text your dad and let him know I got you guys here safe and in one piece…” he gave a nervous chuckle as he opened the fridge and pulled out a soda.

Filly nodded, “Sure! I’m just going to put my bag upstairs.”

“Me too!”

“Alright, you two do what you gotta do.” Barley said as he cracked open the can and took a sip.

With that, the twins made their way up the stairs, towards the guest room they shared on days like this.

Dropping down with her legs neatly folded under her, Filly fished through her bag and pulled out her cell phone before promptly a text to her father.

**Filly _:_** _Hi dad! Me and Phoebe are at Laurel’s house already!_

Filly stared at the phone as Colt typed out his reply.

 **Dad** : _Alright. Did you all get there okay?_

 **Filly _:_** _Yeah, Barley was careful_.

 **Dad** : _Sure he was. Did you all have a good day?_

Filly paused to look over at her sister, who was texting on her own phone.

 **Filly** : _It was okay. Sort of boring actually._

 **Dad** : _Things are pretty slow for me too. Behave and I’ll see you tonight._

**Filly _:_** _Okay dad! I love you! Be careful!_

**Dad** : _I love you too._

Filly turned off her phone and made to pull her brand-new book out of her bag.

While Filly had been busy texting their father, Phoebe had been texting their mother.

**Phoebe:** _Hi mom._

**Mom** : _Hello Phoebe. How was school?_

 **Phoebe** : _It was alright. We’re at Mrs. Lightfoot’s house waiting for dad to pick us up._

 **Mom** : _I see. Do you and Filly have your stuff packed and ready?_

 **Phoebe** : _Not yet._

**Mom:** _Well, make sure you two get it done._

**Phoebe:** _We will._

**Phoebe** _: Mom?_

**Mom:** _Yes?_

**Phoebe** : _When you pick us up on Sunday…do you think we can all have dinner together? You, us, and dad? I mean OUR dad._

There was a long pause from the mother’s end.

 **Mom** : _Phoebe sweetie…you know your father and I can’t do that._

Phoebe’s eyes watered.

 **Phoebe** : _Why not?_

**Mom** _: Because we just can’t sweet heart. I’m sorry._

**Mom** : _I’ll see you girls on Sunday_.

 **Mom** : _I love you both_.

**Phoebe** _: We love you too._

Phoebe put her phone away after that, sniffling and wiping her eyes as she did.

“You talked to mom?” Filly asked from her side of the room.

“Yeah.” Came Phoebe’s single worded reply.

Silence filled the room, but only for a brief moment.

“You know mom’s not just gonna wake up one morning and decide to leave Zalman and come back to dad-” Filly stated bluntly.

“She might!” Phoebe argued.

Filly continued even as she heard Laurel enter the house, “-and dad’s not going to dump Laurel and take mom back with open arms.”

“He _could_ if he wanted to!” Phoebe snapped.

“But he _won’t_! Not after mom hurt him the way she did!” Filly bit back.

Phoebe crossed her arms, “Mom made a mistake, and if dad lets her, she could fix it!”

Filly rolled her eyes.

Was Phoebe intelligent? Yes, very much so. Filly couldn’t deny that her younger sister was the smarter of the two. Mature? At times, yes, Phoebe could be more mature than Filly. Naïve? Surprisingly, and concerningly, _yes_. And she could be _stubborn_ too.

Phoebe’s gullibility and stubbornness were _definitely_ showing right now…

“She’s _not_ going to leave Galen behind.” Filly reminded, thinking of their six-year-old half-brother. 

“She left _us_ behind!” Phoebe argued, motioning to her self and Filly.

“Mom has primary custody of us.”

“But dad _let_ her take us! He _let_ mom go through with the divorce!”

“Dad only did it because mom made it clear she loved Zalman more than him-”

“That’ not-”

“-and dad let mom keep us because he has a risky job and he thinks we’ll be better off with _her_! He did it for _us_!”

“Yeah but-”

“ _Mom’s_ the one that broke our family, _not_ dad!” Filly said firmly, slamming her book shut as she did so, “ _Let_ dad move on.”

Through watery eyes, Phoebe opened her mouth to argue when a soft knock sounded from the closed door. The twins turned just as the door creaked open and Laurel stuck her head in.

“Hey girls I- oh! Is everything okay in here?” Laurel’s warm smile dropped as her face shifted into a look of concern as she took in Phoebe’s watery eyes.

Phoebe quickly turned away as she wiped her tears away, “We’re fine.” She whimpered.

That certainly didn’t _sound_ fine.

Laurel entered the room and approached the younger filly, “Are you sure? Are you okay?” she asked as she rubbed soothing circles on Phoebe’s back.

Phoebe silently nodded.

“We were just talking about our mom and dad.” Filly explained.

Laurel’s eye lit in understanding, “Ohh…” she rubbed Phoebe’s back for a few more seconds before giving her a reassuring pat, “Well, the cake’s still not here yet, but when it _does_ get here, we’ll get Ian’s party started, alright?” she smiled at her future stepdaughters, “Maybe we can all watch a couple of movies while we wait for your dad to pick you up. How does that sound?”

“That sounds fun!” Filly agreed.

“Phoebe?” Laurel asked.

“Okay…”

Laurel ran her hand over Phoebe’s head, “Great! I’m just going to check on Ian and then we’ll hold a vote to see which movie we start with, alright?”

“Alright!”

“Okay.”

With that, Laurel turned and left the room, leaving the girls to their own thoughts once more. It was only a couple of moments later that the she-elf’s voice rung out once more.

*“BARLEY! Keep your soldiers off my land or our kingdoms will go to war!”*

*“Sorry mom!”*

This actually earned a shared laugh between the twins.

“You gotta admit, Laurel’s pretty cool and Barley’s pretty funny.” Filly said through her giggles.

Phoebe smiled, “Yeah…I mean…they’re _okay_ , it’s just…” she paused as her smile weakened.

“You want mom and dad to get back together.” Filly finished softly.

“Yeah…”

Filly closed her book and inched her way over to her sister, “You know…I’d like it if mom and dad got back together too.” She said as she rested beside Phoebe, “But I just _don’t_ think that’s ever going to happen.” Filly said softly.

Phoebe looked away, “…I just want things to go back to normal.”

Filly wrapped her arms around her sister, “I know, but-” the sound of the hallway’s pull-down ladder caught their attention, and the girls scrambled to their feet.

*“What do you mean it’s from dad?”* Barley’s voice sounded out.

*“I don’t know,” Ian said as the twins joined them in the hall, *“mom said it was for both of us.” He explained in confusion.

At that moment, Laurel came back down the ladder with a long, clothed object in her hands, *“He just said to give you this when you were both over sixteen. I have _no_ idea what it is!” she said just as excited as her sons. She turned to fold the ladder and close the attic before following the boys into Ian’s room. Filly and Phoebe followed close behind.

The five of them all huddled around Ian’s bed as he unwrapped the mysterious gift. As soon as the younger teen undid the first fold, Barley and Filly gasped in disbelief.

*“No _way_! It’s a wizard staff! _Dad_ was a _wizard_!”* Barley exclaimed as he picked up the extravagant looking piece of wood.

Skeptical Phoebe wasn’t so sure, “It looks more like a fancy hiking stick- OW!” she yelped as Filly punched her shoulder.

“It’s not a ‘hiking stick’, it’s a wizard staff!” Filly scolded.

Barley nodded at the filly’s words, “Our dad was a _wizard_!” he repeated.

*“ _What_?!”* Ian asked incredulously.

Laurel held out her hands, *“ _Hold on_! Your _dad_ was an _accountant_! I mean, he got interested in a lot of strange things when he got sick, but-”*

*“There’s a letter…”* Ian interrupted.

Filly and Phoebe peered around him while Laurel and Barley peered over their shoulders. “What’s it say?” Filly pressed.

*“Dear Ian and Barley, long ago, the world was full of wonder. It was adventurous, exciting, and best of all, there was _magic_. And that magic helped all in need, but it wasn’t easy to master. And so, the world found a simpler way to get by. Over time, magic faded away, but I hope there’s a little magic left in you. And so I wrote this spell so I could see for myself who my boys grew up to be.”* Ian turned to the next page, *“Visitation spell…”*

“Woah…” Filly breathed as she shared a look with her sister.

Barley took the ‘visitation spell’ page from Ian, *“I don’t believe this…this spell brings him back…”* his face lit up as he looked at the occupants in the room, *“For one whole day, dad will be _back_!”*

*“ _What?!”*_

“Cool!”

*“ _Back_? As in back to _life_?!”*

“Impossible!”

Barley laughed, “Not when we have _this_!” he held up the staff.

Ian’s face lit with hope, *“I’m gonna meet dad?”*

Laurel took the pages from her son and looked them over, *“Oh, Will, you wonderful nut! What _is_ this?”* she breathed.

Filly tugged on Ian’s sleeve, “Ian, your dad’s a _wizard_!” she said, giving him a small shake.

Ian smiled at her.

Barley rummaged through the covering the staff came in, *“Now, a spell this powerful needs an assist element…”* he murmured.

“Assist element?” Phoebe repeated.

Filly nodded, “Most spells could be cast simply through a wizard’s magic alone, but for _other_ spells, the _stronger_ ones, a wizard would need some extra help from a magical substance, usually from a type of plant or stone or something.”

Barley nodded, “That’s right, and for _this_ particular spell to work, our dad would have had to find a PHOENIX GEM!” the young man declared in triumph. He held up the orange gem for all to see.

The group ‘oooed’ in awe.

*“There’s only a few of these left.”* Barley gushed.

Laurel shook herself from her revere, *“Hold on! Is this _dangerous_?”*

Phoebe nodded in agreement, “Yeah, and if it is, maybe we shouldn’t do this…and maybe we should send the gem to a museum if it’s so rare-”

“Are you _kidding_?!” Filly scolded, “Ian and Barley have a once in a life time opportunity, and you want them to _miss out_ on it?”

“But _Filly-_ ”

Filly took her sister by her shoulders, “Phoebe, their dad created a spell _just_ for _them_! They _need_ this!” she turned to Barley, “ _Go_ for it Barley!” she encouraged.

Barley chuckled as he placed the gem within the staffs swirled ‘limbs’, “Alright…everyone _stand back_!” he cautioned. 

Everyone braced as Barley adjusted his hold on-

“AH!”

Everyone jumped. “What?! What happened?!” Laurel gasped.

“Nothing. Just a splinter!” Barley said sheepishly. The group sighed in relief.

Barley took his stance once more, *“Only once is all we get, _grant_ me this rebirth, till tomorrow’s _sun_ has _set_ , one day to walk the _Earth_!”*

Phoebe cringed against her sister as Barley slammed the staff on the ground dramatically.

There was a dull ‘thud’ and then…nothing.

Phoebe cracked her eyes open.

Barley looked at the staff in confusion before readjusting himself, *“Hold on, I was just gripping it wrong…” he muttered as he twirled the staff in his hands. He took a deep breath and repeated the spell, a bit faster this time and with a small thrust of the stick.

Still nothing.

He tried again…and again…and again…and again…

Each time, was a frailer.

“Barley…” Laurel said after the thirty-something time.

By now, even Barley looked hopeless, and he moved to sit beside his mother.

Phoebe nudged her sister and the two made their way back to the guest room.

“So much for ‘ _magic’_.” Phoebe sighed as she dropped down next to her bag. Filly remained standing; her face locked into a look of concentration.

“I don’t get it…the spell should have _worked_.” She muttered to herself.

Phoebe shrugged, “Magic’s hard to master. Mr. Lightfoot said so himself. You can’t expect someone to perform a spell on their first day.” She said as she opened her library book, “Or maybe, they just don’t _have_ magic.”

“But their dad’s a wizard! His magic should have passed down to them!” Filly argued.

“Barley _thinks_ he’s a wizard.” Phoebe corrected.

Filly frowned, “Oh yeah? Well if he’s not a wizard, then why did he have a wizard staff?”

“If he _was_ a wizard, why didn’t Laurel know about it?” Phoebe countered, “For all _we_ know, he could have bought the staff at a pawn shop and left it for Ian and Barley, _hoping_ one of them had magic.”

There was a knock, and Laurel stuck her head in, “Girls, I’m going to go pick up Ian’s cake. When I get back, we’ll eat and then we’ll get started on our movie night, sound good?”

Filly smiled, “Sounds great Laurel.”

Laurel smiled in return, “Alright well, Barley’s downstairs and Ian’s in his room. Call or text or dad or I if you all need anything.”

“We will!”

Laurel left shortly after that.

Filly’s ear twitched as the front door closed. “Ian didn’t try the spell.” She said after a moment.

Phoebe rolled her eyes, “Filly, _let_ it _go.”_

“No, no…I think I have an idea…”

“What are you- _Filly_!” Phoebe groaned as her sister left the room. She promptly followed her twin into Ian’s room. There, she found her sister looking over the wizard staff with intense concentration.

“Maybe _you_ should give it a try Ian.” Filly said as she handed Ian the staff.

Ian sighed, “Barley already tried it like thirty-five times, and it didn’t work!”

“Yeah but _you_ didn’t.” Filly insisted, “Maybe…maybe Barley _doesn’t_ have the ability, but _you_ could…just try it!” she urged.

Knowing the young filly wouldn’t stop until his complied, Ian took the staff in his hand and looked at the page that held the spell, *“Only once is all we get…grant me this rebirth-”* the gem at the end of the staff glowed and vibrated, causing Ian to drop the magical item against his desk. The staff continued to shake, even as the trio backed away in awe.

“No way…” Phoebe breathed in disbelief. Filly beamed in excitement.

Ian looked back at the page, *“Till tomorrow’s sun has set…”* at that, multiple items around the teen’s room lifted off the ground, hovering in midair. The staff rolled towards the edge of the desk, and Ian caught it just before it hit the ground.

The second Ian’s hand made contact, the staff glowed a bright blue and the gem flashed in anticipation, *“one day to walk the earth!”*

Everyone squinted as the Phoenix Gem gave another bright flash. Then without warning, the hovering items began swirling around the room, around the stunned trio as the gem continued to glow brighter and brighter.

“What’s happening?!” Phoebe cried as she wrapped her arms around her sister.

“ _Magic_!” Filly answered as she held her younger sibling. Her huge grin never left her face.

Ian’s door opened, “What are you all doing in- _Holy tooth of Zadar_! How did you…?!” Barley cried as he took in the scene.

*“I don’t know, it just started!”* Ian yelled back.

Blazey wondered up to the room, saw the chaos and promptly dashed away with a yelp.

There was another flash and a blue stream of light shot down at the ground.

Four jaws dropped as a pair of feet manifested, followed by a pair of purple socks, followed by khaki slacks and all the way up to where a slightly pot belly was forming, right before the gem began to glow an eerie red as it lifted itself out of the staff’s hold.

“What’s going on? Why is the gem floating like that?!” Phoebe asked in slight fear.

“He’s losing control of the spell!” Filly said as the body began to _un_ manifest, “It’s not going to work!” she warned as Ian began to lose his footing.

*“Hang on! I can help!”* Barley called out as he rushed forward.

Filly held a hand out, “Guys wait!”

*“Barley _no_!”* Ian yelled as he jerked the staff away.

There was one final flash of light, followed by a small, magical explosion and the four youngsters fell to the ground with a collective yell.

Filly rubbed her head with a groan before looking to her sister, “Phoebe, are you alright?!”

Phoebe pushed herself up, “Yeah I think so…”

There was a cough and the girls turned to see Barley help Ian to his feet. He then rushed over to help the young centaurs up.

“You guys okay? You’re not hurt?” he asked in concern.

“We’re okay.” Filly assured as she brushed herself off.

“Was that _supposed_ to happen?” Phoebe asked as Barley helped her to her feet, “If it is, then magic is more dangerous and… _messier_ than I thought.” She said as she surveyed the now trashed room.

Barley shook his head, “No, magic’s usually a lot smoother and cleaner, but-” there was a soft ‘thump’ and everyone went silent.

Another ‘thump’ sounded, making everyone glance around in confusion.

“ _There!_ ” Phoebe pointed to a pile of clothes that were shifting around in Ian’s open closet.

A leg poked out from the pile making the girls nicker and paw at the wooden floor nervously.

“Easy girls…” Barley soothed as he and Ian approached the limb cautiously.

*“Dad?”* Ian asked hopefully as the ‘body’ pushed itself to its feet, the upper torso seemingly covered in discarded clothing.

“Dad is that you?” Barley pressed.

The figure stood still before the pile of clothing slid down, revealing only the lower half of said elf.

*“Woah, he’s just legs!”* The boys cried in near unison. Filly and Phoebe actually reared up in fear, crying out as they did so.

*“There’s no top part! I definitely remember dad having a top part!”* Barley whispered as he cowered behind Ian.

*“Oh, what did I do?! This is _horrible_!”* Ian whimpered as he watched his father’s legs blindly feel their way around the room.

The lower half of Mr. Lightfoot wondered too close to comfort to the twins, and they quickly trotted around the room until they were safely behind their future brothers.

“Why is there only a bottom half?!” Phoebe whispered to her sister.

Filly shook her head in confusion, “I don’t know…I guess when Ian lost his focus, the spell cancelled itself half way and left us with only the bottom half of Mr. Lightfoot.”

Taking the girl’s words into consideration, Ian knelt down before his father and waved a hand over the flat, glowing area above the belt, “Hello?” he tested.

Mr. Lightfoot responded by stretching a leg out and feeling around he room again.

*“It’s _really_ him…”* Barley said softly as everyone moved out of the way. He then cupped his hands around his mouth, *“Dad! You are _in_ your _house_!” he called out. Mr. Lightfoot promptly ran into Ian’s desk, knocking himself to the ground.

“I don’t think he can hear you.” Filly said as the boys helped their father to his feet.

“Of _course,_ he can’t, he’s got no _head_!” Phoebe chided as she motioned to the clueless legs, “ _Look_ at him!”

Barley bit his lip before crouching in front of his father. He tapped on Wilden’s left foot, making him shuffle back a step.

*“What are you doing?”* Ian asked.

Barley ignored him and tapped on his dad’s feet again, *“Bum ba-da bum bum…”* he whispered in rhythm to the old ‘shave and a haircut’ riff. 

Again, Mr. Lightfoot backed up a few steps before tapping his foot twice, thus completing the tune.

The group all smiled as Wilden approached his elder son and repeated the action on Barley’s own foot.

*“That’s right dad! It’s me… _Barley_ …”* Barley said as he tapped the side of his dad’s foot. Wilden moved past him and felt along until he touched Ian’s foot, *“Yeah, that’s _Ian_.”* Barely cooed.

Ian smiled, *“Hi…dad…”* he reached down and touched his fathers foot.

Barley motioned the twins over.

The vibrations of the wooden floor caught Wilden’s attention, and he promptly felt around until he touched Filly’s hoof. He tapped her leg a bit before feeling around and finally finding Phoebe’s leg.

“That’s Filly and Phoebe,” Barley explained, “They’re gonna be our little sisters soon…”

The four watched as Wilden stepped back away from the group, nearly tripping over a pencil as he did so.

Ian groaned, *“Oh, I messed this whole thing up! _Now_ he’s gonna be legs _forever_!”* he exclaimed, clutching his hair.

Barley shook his head as he swiped the spell page from Ian’s desk, *“No, not forever. The spell only lasts one day. At sunset tomorrow, he’ll disappear…and we’ll never be able to bring him back again.”

Everyone looked out the window at the setting sun. They didn’t have much time…

*“Okay, okay, okay, there’s twenty-four hours…that doesn’t give us much _time_ , but…”* Ian looked around, “Where’s my phone?”

The group proceeded to search around the phone until a loud ‘crunch’ was heard.

Filly looked down and winced before bending and retrieving said device, “Found it…sorry…” she apologized as she handed the now broken phone to Ian.

The younger teen frowned in disappointment before setting his watch to countdown twenty-four hours.

*“We’ll just have to do the spell again.”* Ian assured.

Barley laughed, “You mean _you_ have to! A person can only _do_ magic if they _have_ the gift, and _my_ little brother has the magic gift!” he gave several playful punches to Ian’s shoulder and back.

Filly looked as if she was about to burst with excitement, “I _knew_ it!” she turned to Phoebe and shook her by the shoulders, “You see? I _told_ you Ian might have the ability, and he _does_!”

*“But I couldn’t even finish the spell!”* Ian argued.

*“Well, you’re gonna have plenty of time to practice, ‘cause we have to find another Phoenix Gem.”* Barley said as he picked up the staff and prodded at the obliterated gem dust.

Phoebe frowned, “And where are we supposed to find another gem? You said that Phoenix Gems are really rare, so it’s not like we can just go to the superstore and ask if they have any in stock.”

Filly’s ears dropped. Her sister _did_ have a point, “She’s right. Even if there _was_ another gem, where would we look?”

The group fell into a moment of thoughtful silence before Barley let out an exaggerated gasp.

“I have an idea! Here, hold this!” Barley said as he shoved the staff in Filly’s hands before dashing out of the room.

The remaining occupants stood around in awkward silence as Barley could be heard rummaging through his downstairs room.

“It’s nice to meet you Mr. Lightfoot.” Filly said to the disembodied legs.

Barley returned a short time later with his Quests of Yore game cards. He placed the box on the desk and flipped through them with incredible speed, *“A-HA! We’ll start at the place where all quests begin! The _Manticore’s Tavern_!”* he said as he held a couple of cards out to Ian.

Phoebe peered at the cards, “Manticore’s… _tavern_?” she repeated with a raised brow.

“Yeah, _Manticore’s Tavern_ ,” Barley repeated, *“It’s run by a _fearless_ adventurer. She knows where to find any kind of gem, talisman, totem-”*

*“Barley, this is for a _game_.”* Ian interrupted.

*“Based on _real life_!”* the older elf said over his shoulder.

Phoebe was skeptical, “Does the tavern even _exist_ anymore? I mean, it’s been like _centuries…_ even if the place is still standing, it’s probably falling to ruins or something.”

“Nope, it’s still there!” Barley answered.

“Okay, but, I _doubt_ the ‘Manticore’ is still alive-”

“Oh, she is. Manticores have _crazy_ long lifespans. I’m pretty sure she’s still around.” Filly cut in.

“But-”

“Phoebe, Ian, _trust_ me.” Barley begged as he continued to riffle through his deck, *“Look, my years of training have prepared me for _this_ very moment…”* he took a brief glance at a card before tossing it over his shoulder, *“and I’m telling you _this_ is the only way to find…”* he dumped the cards onto the desk, *“a _Phoenix Gem_!”* He held the card up for all to see.

Ian took the card in thought before turning to his father’s legs.

*“Whatever it takes,”* he said slowly, *“ _I_ am gonna meet my dad.”

Barely pulled Ian into a one-armed hug, *“You hear that dad? We’re going on a _quest_!”*

Ian blinked and pulled himself out of his brother’s hold, “Wait! What about the twins? We can’t leave them home alone; mom and Colt would _freak_!” he said as he motioned to the young centaurs.

Barley shrugged, “We’ll just take them with us.”

“ _Yes_!” Filly cheered as she threw her arms up.

Phoebe shook her head, “I…I don’t know about this…our dad’s expecting us to be _here_ …I don’t think he’d like it if were driving around town without his permission.”

“Oh come _on_ Phoebe!” Filly argued with an eye roll, “We have a chance to go on an awesome quest, and you want us to miss out on it because you think dad wants us to be locked up here?”

“Actually, it’s not a quest, it’s more of an errand.” Ian corrected.

“It’s a quest.” Filly shot back.

Phoebe rubbed her arm, “I don’t know…I just don’t want dad to worry.” She said softly.

Barley moved to wrap an arm around his youngest sibling, “We’re not gonna be gone long. We’re just gonna go talk to the Manticore, get the gem and come right back. We’ll be gone an hour… _two_ at the most.” He reasoned.

“I don’t know…” Phoebe repeated.

“Look, if you’re so worried, just text your dad and tell him we’re going to go pick up something for Ian’s birthday.” Barley suggested.

Filly nodded in agreement, “Yeah we’ll text him…actually Phoebe, _you’ll_ have to text him. My battery died.”

Phoebe looked between Filly, Ian and Barley and then gave a defeated sigh, “ _Fine_. I’ll text dad.” Filly did a little fist pump, “But you promise we won’t be gone long, right?” the younger twin asked the eldest boy.

“Yeah we totally won’t be gone long.”

“And you _promise_ to be careful when you’re driving?”

“The carefulest!”

Phoebe gave another sigh, “Okay…I guess I’ll just text my dad and let him know we’ll be out.” She made to leave the room before pausing, “Do you want me to text your mom too?”

“Ye-”

“Not necessary!”

“What? _Barley_!” Ian frowned.

“Look Ian, if we text mom, she’s gonna start asking questions and she’s gonna wanna come along, and to be honest, this is as much as a gift for _her_ as it is for _you_. Look, we’ll leave a note for her. It’ll be more mysterious that way!” Barley took a marker and a piece of paper and began scribbling out said note.

Phoebe frowned, “Are you _sure_ you don’t want me to text your mom? I’m already gonna text my dad…”

Barley shook his head, “Nope! Notes done!” he exclaimed as he plucked some tape from Ian’s tape dispenser and went to post the paper to Ian’s door.

Phoebe put her hands up in surrender, “ _Alright_ …if you say so…” and with that, she left the room with her sister and the elf brothers following behind. She went to the guest room while everyone else went downstairs.

Plucking her phone from her bag, and typed out a quick text to her father.

**Phoebe _:_** _Hi dad, Filly and I are going with Barley and Ian to pick up a birthday present. We’ll be back later. Love you!_

She hit send and then made her way downstairs, phone in hand.

Filly and Ian were already in the van, and Barley was fiddling with the house keys.

“Hey Feebs, before you come out, you mind grabbing us a few soda cans for the trip?” Barley asked in his usual cheerful tone.

Phoebe’s jaw clenched in annoyance, but she forced a smile as she turned and headed to the kitchen.

“I can’t believe I’m actually agreeing to do this…” she muttered under her breath as she placed her phone on the kitchen counter, “Barley’s gonna get us hurt with his crazy driving and dad’s gonna be _so_ mad…” she continued as she pulled out four sodas from the fridge. She turned and closed the door with her back hoof. “And it’s all because everyone wanted to go on a ‘quest’ that isn’t even a ‘quest’…it’s an _errand._ ” She grumbled as she walked right past her discarded phone.

The young centauress was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t even think twice about forgetting her phone, even as she handed off the cans to Ian and Filly and was helped into the van. She didn’t even remember the device as she, Ian and Filly watched Barley struggle to start up Guinevere.

*“Come on, Guinevere…”* Barley begged as the engine stalled and sputtered.

*“Maybe we should just take the bus?”* Ian suggested. Phoebe nodded in agreement.

The engine started and Barley smiled, *“She’s fine!” Barley insisted as he plucked in his mix-tape. “Hold on everybody!” he called over the loud rock music as he tore down the street and out of the neighborhood.

* * *

“Barley I forgot my phone!” Phoebe announced in a panic.

Ian looked up from what he was doing, “Where did you leave it?”

“On the kitchen counter! My hands were full and I left it there!”

Filly looked to Barley, who cringed in sympathy, “Oh…sorry…you know, I’d turn around, but we’re already on the expressway _and_ we’re already halfway there, sooo…” he sent his sister a sympathetic look through his rearview mirror.

Phoebe looked to her sister, who simply shrugged, “You text dad, didn’t you?”

“Well… _yeah…”_

 _“_ Then don’t worry! He knows we’ll be gone for a while.” Filly assured.

“But he doesn’t know _where_ we’re going, or how long we’ll be gone!” Phoebe brought a hand to her forehead, “I should have been more specific from the start!”

“Hey Feebs, _relax_! I’ll take the blame if your dad gets mad, which he _won’t_ because we’ll be back before he knows it!” Barley soothed. Filly nodded in agreement.

Phoebe wrung her hands nervously, to which Filly took her sister’s hands in hers, “It’s _okay_ Phoebe, just try to have fun…we’re on a mini adventure! An adventure so Ian can see his dad!” Filly pointed to where Ian was working on a top half for his father, all the while rambling about some award he had earned.

She _did_ have a point.

“Okay…” the younger twin relented.

“Atta girl!” Barley cheered before turning his attention to his brother, *“Hey uh, what are you two Chatty Charlies up to back there?”* he teased.

Ian shrugged, *“You know, I felt weird talking to dad without a top half, so…”* he plucked on the top mannequin, making Wilden look more…well… _complete_. *“Ta-da!”*

*“Oh, that’s _great!”*_ Barley cheered, *“Dad, you look _just_ like I remember! And hey, don’t worry, we’ll have the rest of you here before you know it, and then, first thing I’m gonna do; introduce you to _Guinevere_.”* Barley rubbed his hand along the dashboard lovingly, *“Rebuilt this old girl _myself_ , from the lugnuts to the air conditioning…” he turned on the AC, which released a ridiculously strong burst of air.

“Turn it off!” Phoebe called out.

Ian pushed his way forward and did as the young girl requested.

As the brothers continued their own conversation, Filly turned to her sister, “It’s going to be so nice to see them as a family again…at least for a little while.” The elder twin gushed as she watched Wilden take a seat.

Phoebe eyed the incomplete figure, “At least _they’ll_ get a chance to be an actual family for a while.”

“ _Phoebe_ -“

“And I don’t think _they’re_ mom and dad will argue when they see each other.”

“ _Phoebe_ -“

“Hey Filly! Pass me my Quests of Yore book!” Barley interrupted.

“Huh? Oh! Here.” Filly handed Barley the manual, who then promptly tossed it to Ian.

Ian fumbled with the book before looked at it with a groan, *“This _book_ is for a _game_!”*

“ _I_ told you, everything in Quests of Yore is historically _accurate_ , even the spells!” Barley insisted.

Ian looked at Filly for confirmation.

“He’s right.” Filly confirmed.

“See? I told you!” Barley reached behind him and handed Ian his staff, *“So, start practicing young _sorcerer_.” He said dramatically.

Ian sighed, *“Okay dad…let’s try some magic…”*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My OCs (so far):  
> Phyllis "Filly" Bronco and Phoebe Bronco- 10 year old twin daughters of Colt Bronco  
> Terra - Colt's ex wife and the mother of Filly and Phoebe  
> Zalman- Filly and Phoebe's stepfather  
> Galen- Filly and Phoebe's younger half-brother  
> Ramsey and Ryder Gore- Officer Gore's 10 year old twin sons  
> Mrs. Maples- Filly, Phoebe, Ramsey and Ryder's 4th grade teacher


End file.
